Goes with jeans…

What to do with white french terry?

My intention was to make a robe – a fresh white robe just feels wonderful after a shower. However, I discovered that I only had 3 yards of fabric (huh, I really did mean to order 5 yards). Time to re-think this project.

I’ve been toying with the idea of a long button-front cardigan, a mix of the Ready to Sew Jamie Cardigan and the Blackwood Cardigan from Helen’s Closet. I don’t have the Jamie pattern, and the Blackwood is very slim, so I trolled the stash. Voila! Burda Style 09/2016 #119.

Yes, I made changes!

• I left off the collar and drafted 2″ wide facings for the front and back neckline.
• The original sleeve is very wide at the armscye and connects at the natural waist. I narrowed mine by 7″ on the front and back seam, which gave a nice kimono sleeve.

• I was short on fabric so I made a two-piece pocket with fun topstitching.

• And I cut 10″ off the bottom, which I refashioned into a 4″ wide hem band.
• For closure, I used 5/8″ buttons with silver #4 sew-on snaps. Easy peasy 🙂

I admit I sewed this with some trepidation, not totally convinced I was making something I would enjoy. But I love it with jeans!

I used my Frixion pens all over this as I was sewing and fitting, so I laundered it again when it was finished. The cotton terry is so soft and rumply.

Yes, I still want that white robe. I just ordered more fabric, because Cali Fabrics only had 7 yards left when I went looking!

Bye for now, Coco

M7634 Small post…

It is incredibly rainy here, NOAA is talking about a tropical disturbance in the making. Hmmm. Grey. I wore this top this morning to an appointment, and my doctor loved it!!

It’s a slightly modified version of M7476. I simply added 4.5″ inches to the length of view B and went with it – regular sleeves, no hood, no center embellishment:

I love wearing this top – it’s so simple and so easy to wear.

For now, Coco

Blackwood Cardigan in Ponte Knit

More love for the Blackwood Cardigan pattern from Helen’s Closet.

Feeling adventurous, I used a very stretchy (60%/40%) rayon/nylon/lycra ponte from Fabric Mart (my first version was in hacci knit, here).

I actually began construction with the neckline band, because I knew it would be the biggest challenge. I did not want to end up with a wavy, stretched out band! So – my approach:

• I keep my ironing board at table height, so it can double as a work surface. The foam pad makes a great pin cushion as well!

• I measured the band and did all my work with a measuring tape above it to ensure I wasn’t stretching the fabric. Or possibly shrinking it when I applied the fusible interfacing.

• After I folded the band and gave it a press, I did some fancy basting to prevent shifting when it was sewn. It took a while, but was worth the effort.

• I also made a 12″ long replica for testing my stitches, tension, and so on.

A couple more sewing notes:

• I staystitched the neckline edges of the garment to stabilize them while I was handling the fabric. On the back neckline, I stitched from the center back to the shoulder. On the front pieces, I stitched from the bottom edge to the shoulder.

• To avoid stretching my seams, I sewed them first on the sewing machine, and simply finished the edges on the serger.

Whew! but it all worked 🙂

Next up, of course I’m going to sew this in a cotton/lycra jersey!

Bye for now, Coco

Meet Callie Lapin…

Callie is cousin to Luna Lapin, a little French hare.

Originally I planned to use wool felt for Callie’s body, and I ordered it online from The Felt Pod. But I couldn’t work with it – allergies. So I opted for grey kona cotton, which works really well.

Some pics along the way…

I drafted my patterns with a 1/4″ seam allowance and sewed everything on my machine. I find it easier to sew small doll pieces using the pattern on top of the fabric, with a very small stitch length (2.2 on long edges, 1.2 around curves).

After tearing away the tissue, I cut out my pieces with pinking shears. The pinked edge is safer than clips on curves and adds ease to all the seams.

I happen to like floppy ears on rabbits, so I redrew her head and lengthened her ears (more in a later photo).

I’m always happy when all the body parts are sewn and I can start turning and stuffing. Over years of making fabric dolls, I’ve collected and adapted some great tools.

Chopsticks, manicure sticks, cocktails skewers, hemostats, and tweezers.

I also find doll needles to be indispensable.  I used one to stabilize the head while I attached it, and ran one side to side, straight through the body and head, to attach the arm buttons and eyes.

Doll Makers Journey is my go-to source for tools, fabrics, and much more!

Callie has a pink nose, eyes, and shoulder buttons. Outlining her nose with thread made the embroidery work very simple.

 

Cute bunny.

Of course she’s after me for something to wear. The fitting of her first outfit (dress and knickers) is scheduled for this afternoon 🙂

She was fun to make, and I plan more outfits as well as some flip-flops in her size. Rather than do more posts here, I’ve set up a Pinterest board for Callie and any other Sarah Peel designs that grab me.

Ciao! Coco

Blackwood Cardigan fan club…

It’s official – I’m a fan. From Helen’s Closet, the lovely Blackwood Cardigan!

Yes, another cardigan. But they’re such fun to sew and so easy to wear. I think I’m slow on my game, because this cardigan has been around for some time.

I actually purchased it and 2 pieces of hacci knit a couple months ago. Then I chickened out on using the hacci, mostly because I read so many comments about ‘sweater knits that cling to themselves’. Absolutely, hacci knit, in all its polyester glory, will do that. But this pattern is not voluminous, so this weekend I went with my first inclination, and I love the result.

Sewing notes:

• Fabric: this is a blue/black/brown/cream abstract hacci knit from Fabric Mart. It’s very stretchy – 80%/40%.
• Size: After viewing about a hundred versions online, and reading the sizing information and tutorials provided by Helen’s Closet, I settled on size Large. Measurement of the taped pattern confirmed my choice: the Large is 33″ at the bustline. With a 4″ gap between the front edges (it’s not meant to be closed), it’s perfect for me. The Large is about 40″ at the hip, just enough to prevent a skimpy silhouette. It also fits me through the shoulders and arms. BTW, my measurements put me in the Medium, but it would have been too small for me.
• I also added 1″ to the length – I’m 5’7″ and the size model is 5’6″. I always appreciate that little piece of information.
• The band: I planned to interface the front band, so I added 2″ to the length on each side. Fusible interfacing will always ‘freeze’ a knit and pull it up a bit. Better safe than sorry, and I used every bit of the length. Interfaced, folded, basted and topstitched:

• The sleeve: my only change was to the cuff. The sleeve pattern is intentionally long and slouchy, with a very wide cuff. I simply finished my cuff at about 1 5/8″ wide.

• No pockets! the fabric is way too stretchy for them.

And the inside view…

While browsing, I found an intriguing adaptation by SheSewsALot – she made it a bit oversized, with a button front and maxi length. I’ve already printed the layered XL and XXL for a similar version in the fall, perhaps in sweatshirt or French terry knit.

Other projects – My Luna Lapin wool felt arrived from The Felt Pod. It’s beautiful fabric, but my wool allergy bounded to the front almost immediately. Sigh. However, I have a backup plan, and I’ll be working on my Lapin today.

Bye for now – Coco